Reportedly (but I'm not sure how reliable the info is, I've read it on this very board), the concert was filmed (probably not multi-angle) and, therefore, recorded (but not sure if proper soundboard or just the video's audio) and the only existing copy is in the WB vault.

Is there an actor/musician in the wings, a now-unrecognized future star that will someday rival the artistry of Prince, whose January 1979 concert at the Capri is ranked as one of his five best(<- lie #1), and at which he signed his first recording contract(<- lie #2)?

With not one but two lies in a single sentence, maybe this was not the best quote to start this thread?

Is there an actor/musician in the wings, a now-unrecognized future star that will someday rival the artistry of Prince, whose January 1979 concert at the Capri is ranked as one of his five best(<- lie #1), and at which he signed his first recording contract(<- lie #2)?

With not one but two lies in a single sentence, maybe this was not the best quote to start this thread?

I can't believe they had the nerve to write such BS on their website!

It's not a book I'm writing here lol

I just post everything said/reported etc as much as I can

not a lot from that time period to begin with

But yeah 'ranked as one of his 5 best' lol But it is still legend

and I want to see and hear it

#IDEFINEME #ALBUMSSTILLMATTER

A Liar Shall Not Tarry In My Presence

What's the matter with your life
Is poverty bringing U down?
Is the mailman jerking U 'round?
Did he put your million dollar check
In someone else's box?
Tell me, what's the m

Finally, on January 5, 1979, the moment they’d been working toward arrived. Prince’s first live performance as a solo artist was inauspicious, to say the least: a benefit concert for the Capri, a renovated former movie theatre on the city’s north side. Promotion was a family affair, according to Kristie Lazenberry: “We made the tickets, we sold them, we even did the door. We were the security too!” (Hill 58). So, for that matter, was attendance: of the venue’s 507 seats, only about 300 were occupied–the vast majority of which, according to biographer Liz Jones, were taken by “former school friends, musicians, [and] cousins” (Jones 57). But Prince, by most accounts, showed promise. Martin Keller of the Twin Cities Readerdescribed a rapturous introduction from KUXL D.J. Kyle Ray, who “hallelujahed in the tradition of Muhammad Ali: ‘The power and the glory, the Minneapolis story–PRINCE’” (Keller 1979). Minneapolis Starmusic critic Jon Bream described the singer strutting around the stage “with grand Mick Jagger-like moves and gestures. He was cool, he was cocky, and he was sexy” (Swensson 2014).

No recordings that I’m aware of exist from the Capri Theatre performances; thanks to eyewitnesses, however, we can confirm that the January 5 date opened with “For You” and included versions of “Soft and Wet,” “So Blue,” and a handful of other songs, before closing with his then-recently-released second single, “Just as Long as We’re Together.” Though some have described Prince’s performance as apprehensive–Nilsen, for example, claimed that he “largely stuck to his guitar and spent most of his time looking at his musicians rather than facing the crowd” (Nilsen 1999 50)–this doesn’t really gel with other accounts. In this instance, Bream seems like the most reliable source: and in his view, the show “clearly indicated he has extraordinary talent” (Swensson 2014).

But most sources do agree that the second Capri date, held on the following night, was a bit of a shambles. The band was dogged by bad weather–temperatures “twenty below zero,” Matt Fink reported to Jones–and technical issues straight out of the air force base scene from This is Spinal Tap(Jones 57). “Dez was using a really primitive wireless guitar transmitter that malfunctioned and created a lot of noise,” Fink recalled to Nilsen. “We had to stop the show for 10 minutes while they disconnected it and got him wired up with regular guitar cables. It seemed like an eternity with dead silence up on stage, with Prince at first not saying anything, having his back to the audience” (Nilsen 1999 51). Dickerson painted a similar picture to Hill: “All I remember is Prince spending most of the evening with his back facing the audience, and in between songs, mumbling into the mike with his eyes closed. I remember André and I far overdoing it… I took every opportunity for running into the audience, to the back of the auditorium, and back up on stage. Just stupid things” (Hill 59).

Had the two nights at the Capri been reversed, I might be writing a very different blog post right now; unfortunately, however, the show that really counted for Prince was the one where everything went wrong. Warner had sent representatives to observe their fresh signee and decide if he was worth investing in a tour; as Prince confessed to Bream in a lengthy interview before the show, “Everybody at Warner Bros. has a big impression that I’m really quiet. ‘If he doesn’t talk, he probably won’t sing or dance too much.’” The purpose of the January 6 date was, he explained, “to put to rest all those accusations” (Nilsen 1999 50). Instead, the label reps seem to have witnessed a confirmation of their fears. “The show wasn’t gelled yet,” Bobby Z told Nilsen. “It wasn’t a star and a band. Prince was just trying to figure out who he was. He was developing a character but he didn’t have the moves down, so there were holes and spaces in the performance. He didn’t have the moves to slick it all up. Only experience will give you that” (Nilsen 1999 51).

One thing, at least, that can be said about the second Capri show is that it featured the only known performance of “I am You”: one of a handful of songs written and demoed in late 1978 about which we know little more than the title. Uptown has described “I am You” as a “rock-oriented number” that “saw Prince moving from instrument to instrument” (Nilsen 1999 50). Unfortunately, however, this display of showmanship wasn’t enough to convince W.B. to bankroll a tour. “They felt the band wasn’t tight enough, which was true,” Fink later explained. “It was a combination of that and the fact that For You wasn’t a hit. They thought, ‘Well, it was a nice try, but let’s do another record and then get out on the road. Let’s give the band a year to develop’” (51). Husney, who had kept in touch with his contacts at the label, heard a blunter assessment: “They told me that the show was a complete disaster” (Hahn 2003 28).

Certainly, that was Prince’s takeaway. After the show, Dickerson said, “Prince was real down on himself. I remember us encouraging him, ‘Put it behind you. We did fine’” (Star Tribune 2004). “He would hardly talk,” according to Charles Smith. “He said, ‘Man, that was shit.’ And I told him, ‘No, it wasn’t. You guys really sounded good. You just need a little bit more time to grow together. It will be happening.’ But he didn’t believe me. He just thought it was shit” (Nilsen 1999 51). In the wake of the disappointment, a planned third night at the Capri on January 7 was cancelled. The show had been a financial failure: “we sold just enough to pay for the lighting,” Willie told Hill. “I think I came out with about five dollars’ profit” (Hill 59).

But Prince’s solution to this setback, as ever, was simple: keep working. According to Willie, he “didn’t want to hear anybody telling him that his band wasn’t ready, so therefore he took it upon himself to work the band until they got super-tight” (Nilsen 1999 51). The next time he performed for an audience, he would be ready. And the band was a key aspect of his new strategy. In the studio, Prince would continue the role of the solitary auteur: “the next Stevie Wonder,” as Kyle Ray introduced him before the first night at the Capri. But on stage, he now had a band: a trusted and well-honed musical unit, which was as much a part of his artistic persona as he was a part of it. Pretty soon, the combination would be unstoppable.

Is there an actor/musician in the wings, a now-unrecognized future star that will someday rival the artistry of Prince, whose January 1979 concert at the Capri is ranked as one of his five best(<- lie #1), and at which he signed his first recording contract(<- lie #2)?

With not one but two lies in a single sentence, maybe this was not the best quote to start this thread?

I can't believe they had the nerve to write such BS on their website!

There are two different reviews of the show.I keep forgetting that there were 2 nights of the Capri shows

the first night not so bad the 2nd night a lot of technical issues

#IDEFINEME #ALBUMSSTILLMATTER

A Liar Shall Not Tarry In My Presence

What's the matter with your life
Is poverty bringing U down?
Is the mailman jerking U 'round?
Did he put your million dollar check
In someone else's box?
Tell me, what's the m